Check out the main channel video on the new 300-lb Petabyte of storage that's going to live in this rack soon! ua-cam.com/video/BBnomwpF_uY/v-deo.html Now, what are your rackmount tips and tricks? Joe wants to steal 'em!
If you have a heavy server, if posible use a serverlift or multiple people. Actualy, serverlifts are nice if you have to install stuff alone and can be a great combo with serverrails.
@@cajetankurmann7126 Indeed. Probably overkill for a homelab-but sometimes, overkill is fun, especially if you can find one used that functions for a low price :)
What was cool for me about this video is that almost every point that was discussed I'm already doing. Not that everything is etched in stone, but there are common standard practices. It's such a good feeling knowing that that I have my head on straight, and I'm not some rouge gun slinger throwing gear in all sorts of ways into my rack. Thanks Jeff. Your 2 year old video is still giving.
Glad it helps! I try to document these things because I know I'll refer back to them... and I hope some other people can see things they like about them too!
You'd think everyone taking a roll around in the rack is just fun. But it does help build familiarity with the rack, so when it comes time to move it around fully loaded you know how it behaves.
@@piotrlewandowski Is it bad to shake harddrives? He didnt dropped it on the floor but they can handle a bit of shaking. The where in laptops for a couple decades.
I'd add, always take a photograph of your existing setup before dismantling it. It might help you remember something important, but is also nice for nostalgic reasons!
Very true. I try to remember to take a picture of the front and back side any time I do a significant change, mostly for reference... but in 10-20 years for that nice nostalgia kick.
Add a multi-switch PDU for all the devices with wall warts and inaccessible switches. Mine is a Pyle PDBC10 with my own labels stuck over their numbers for each device. Makes it easy when you call home and say, "Honey, could you power cycle the cable modem?"
Instead of a Multi-Switch PDU, I'd recommend just getting an IP based PDU. No need to call home and request a reboot, the IP PDU will automatically detect a down connection and reboot whatever device you tell it to. They are great for remote/no-hassle locations. Just don't plug in your servers or NAS into it. 😁
@@JD-lx2yf Oh, nice, I didn't know about those! As much as I love a device I can write a script to control, the only ones I can find that have 8 ports (like my $32 manual one) cost $600+, so I think I'll stick with my Luddite toggle switches. 😀
@@d00dEEE look at the Digital Logger Ethernet Power Controller 7, it’s about $395.00 usd. It’s worth every penny. Or look at the Pro Switch by the same company. It’s about 180 USD and has multiple controllable ports.
@@d00dEEE LMAO...I know. My counterpart at the company I work found this company years ago for remote troubleshooting. Well, one thing lead to another, and now I own one personally and I love it. 🙂
I'm going to steal the idea for the top for mine. Just a small monitor on the top of mine right now and it's sitting on the top of my UDM Pro which is at the top of of the rack.
The second I can move my main rack over to another part of the basement, I'm going for 42U! I plan on keeping this rack as well, regardless, since it's nice to have a deep rack on casters.
I've only done one server rack and it was great to have your dad vocalize the "norms" of racking--connectivity (switches and patch panels on top), power strips on both sides (with their IP ports in the switch), heavy stuff at the bottom (multi-U blade server or UPS in your case). I like Dad's pointer on using a screw position one side of a mount. I was spoiled by snap-rails.
@JeffGeerling you used my Picture from reddit of my very first LAB from 3 years ago. I was watching and had this strange feeling of confusion when I first saw it. I have a proper server and rack now because of your videos and this Great labing community on youtube and reddit . Still shocked to see my pic on your video
Ha! Excellent, and yes, the r/homelab community is amazing. Thanks for sharing your journey over there-my first setup was a piece of plywood with a shelf that held my cable modem, and a router hanging on an Ethernet cable :)
love how dad and son works together. My 10 years old son start interesting in IT and my homelab is simple than this. Dreaming of this setup in the next 2-3 years...
In the theatre / rock and roll world, a rack light is cool 1U addition, means you can still see your installation when the power is off, assuming you power it via your UPS!
I know I've seen some nice pop-out lights integrated into PDUs in the theater racks I've worked with, always loved those things. In my case I could just grab a USB flexible arm light and stick it in the USB port! I do have an emergency power light in the basement too, as well as a few DeWalt flashlights and an area light I pull out when the power goes out. Those things last hours on my 5AH tool batteries, and don't take up 1U of precious rack space ;) Would be nice to have if I get a taller rack though!
It's nice to see the relationship you have with your dad and how I bet her set you off in your It career, because he is an engineer himself. It's always good to see you guys together, Much love Alex. My dad is a nuclear scientist No joke. His building crazy things and genral geekiness set me of on mine. :)
To help reduce cable spaghetti, I like to get a long PDU (power/surge strip) and mount it vertically at the back of the rack and swap the device power cables with shorter ones (or cable-tie them shorter).
I like using rack mounted power devices, so many now to choose from. They can be horizontal or vertical and high density. And remote controlled per outlet. Mike Waldman was the best at cable management - especially "hiding" power cables.
@@GeerlingEngineering they aren't cheap, but check out SurgeX they have rack mount power conditioners/surge protectors. I know your home lab doesn't need it, but I find its rolling start feature useful for sensitive equipment like sound gear
Recommendation: Since you have the rack on casters, tether it to the wall, or in your case, the stairs. My favorite method is to use a couple of eye bolts and a carabiner. Don't rely on the wheel brakes to hold it when (not if) the rack gets bumped, since Murphy's Law dictates that that will happen the one time you forgot to re-lock the brakes. You really don't want those Ethernet cables to get pulled out of the back of your patch panel...
Heh, or one of the casters rolls over onto our rusty old floor drain, shatters that, makes the whole thing topple a bit, kills off a bunch of drives due to vibration while running...
These are some great tips! That lower screw trick really would have helped when I was struggling with inserting a heavy server into a rack. Having the top down order of terminated cables> switch> other equipment is very logical and would help with cable neatness. The blue tape is really helpful as well, even when working solo, just to build up a plan, and these three tips really would have helped.
That's the first time I'd seen the screw trick. Always great to have a 2nd set of hands doing this work too... not only for the strength, but for double-checking things like the right spacing and the right order of operations!
I'm so glad to see you also keep you equipment on a battery backup. I've seen a lot of these videos where there's absolutely no protection for them. It makes my OCD go nuts haha
Jeff, get yourself some knee pads. I'm an industrial electrician, and I spend *a lot* of time kneeling in front of racks of various kinds, and, after a while, you knees will go. Protect them now.
You know, it's honestly refreshing to see someone not backed by corporate sponsorship. I have the same UPS that I bought on craigslist, and a wooden rack. I've wanted to upgrade to metal but I can't justify it for a UPS, r710 (which also needs upgrading), optiplex, and switch. Entire rack of used gear (except for the hue hub)
If I could've found the rack itself used, I would've bought it that way. Used saves SO much money (and sometimes assembly, as long as you can move the equipment/rack in your own vehicle), it's not even funny!
What is done to prevent the rack from being moved too far with the cables still plugged in? Just the locks on the casters? (i.e. another kid worry, or someone trying to access the HVAC/etc)
Not sure how I stumbled on this channel. I ordered and assembled a version of this rack coming on 10 years ago for a MSP client, I chose for the reason it was flat pack and was going into a small basement via very narrow stairs. No chance of getting a full size cabinet down there. It turned out to be a very good product for then later racking a Dell Server and other shelving.
My moves usually go: Plan rack layout (tape, spreadsheet, whatever), insert all cage nuts/studs/etc, move all difficult gear first (like patch panels), then essentially populate from the bottom up so the gear below you can act like a shelf to hold what you're racking up. On a side-note, if you have racks of equipment with nuts/screws/studs/whatever, go get yourself a 12v screw gun with a slip clutch. Put the slip-clutch on it's lowest setting and use that to run everything in with, your arms and wrists will thank you. I'd also recommend standardizing on a specific cage nut/screw/stud and throwing away whatever your equipment comes with. I'm a fan of hardened 12-24 or M6 since it's harder to cross-thread, holds more, less likely to break or strip, and not that much more expensive then the smaller stuff.
You're killing me Jeff. I have one of these StarTechs sitting in my spare bedroom because a guy local to me was liquidating them for cheap. Since then, life has picked up and I haven't gotten anything to fill it with!
I love your main channel content but on this channel it is more of the „in touch“ content. I love the format :) keep it up please, let me sustain my sanity.
I’ve done rackswaps without shutting down equipment. It can be tricky but if the rack is big enough you can angle everything out the back and then back in
If we didn't have that janky UPS mounting setup, it would've been worth a try. But I didn't want to risk a finger or other appendages since it wasn't well fixed in the old rack :(
I have a nice template I made in visio that I use for rack planning. Back when I was working in the engineering department, we used Autodusk AutoCAT for rack layouts, but that's way too much work and doesn't look as nice. You could probably put the work in to make it look nice, and even automate it, but visio is quick and easy enough. As suggested, if the rack doesn't have the RUs labelled, we use gaffer's tape because you can get it in white, and the glue remains sticky for longer so you're not using solvents to clean your nice shiny rack just because you left the tape on for a week. But don't leave it for too long, because it eventually goes through the goopy stage and turns into rock, and then you'll never get it off. We also try to leave a 1RU gap where possible. Management thought they knew better when IT did the last big project and crammed all their servers together, now the ones in the centre are so hot around the power supplies, you can't keep your finger on them. But hey, at least the rack is
Nice rack guys ! I love it , watching you do that makes me want to redo all mine XD once i get my FTTP ill do a rebuild i think, the painters tap is a great idea ill have to use that in my rebuild to mark out and work out space.
Yeah it was extremely helpful, took all the guesswork out, and since the locations were all pre-marked we didn't have to re-count rack spaces when installing in the middle of the rack!
Just curious - do you have a video on your NAS selection? Why ASUS and did you say you used SSDs? If so which? If this is covered in a video please point to that. Thanks.
It's not in a video yet; but I plan on doing a rack tour at some point in the future, probably on the main Jeff Geerling channel. I mostly use ASUSTOR right now because they're reliable and cheaper than the alternatives... plus they have partnered with me on a few storage projects in the past, so it helps when they'll send me a new unit to try out. That doesn't mean they're perfect, of course-one thing that annoys me about the Drivestor 4 Pro is the plastic drive trays seem to vibrate and get noisy sometimes with those 8 TB HDDs.
really want my own rack. don't have room for a deep enough one. next house will. will need to be a few Us just so I can fit a HP server and a couple other boxes. the rest can rack. eventually. current things are on there side against the wall
Curious: In the beginning of the video you inserted panel floor pieces at the bottom of the rack. With the UPS going right over them, are they still necessary? Wouldn't the airflow be better without them?
Sometimes in convenient to lay the rack on it's back and install all the gear from the top, that way you don't have to fight the weight of each piece while getting the screws in. also you can use an old rack on it's back to store loose rack equipment face up. Also, when installing heavy gear with the rack in the upright position install the bottom screws first, this prevents the rack ears from bending out of shape.
Sorry but that's just a bad idea. 1). You need access to the rear of the rack for all the cabling e.g. power and networking. 2). If you're lifting it up, that is an awful lot of weight. A lot of the single server chassis's are solidly built and are heavy by themselves. 3). The loose items will simply fall through.
@@aetch77 it’s not for cabling , it for mounting the gear. For rack like he built, it is not that heavy to tilt up. The won’t fall through , they have rack ears.
@@sefarkas0 To be honest, I do *not* think you know what you are talking about. Servers are heavy, I would not like to tilt up a rack when it has been loaded up. Each server is at least as heavy as a full size ATX desktop computer. You risk doing damage to yourself , the servers and/or the rack. On a personal level, I have already done damage to my back and what you are suggestion is downright dangerous.
@@aetch77 OK, fine I guess I was dreaming about having done it this way many times. For a small rack like the one shown most of the stuff is pretty low weight. It just take a couple of strong people to do it.
That's one thing I'm considering-for the very short term, I'm going to cut some screen material (like for a screen door) and use some magnets to keep it in place. Should be good for at least one ball hit at the rack at high-ish velocity.
I would like to add a video screen as a side cover playing a looped video of the insides of a multistory factory in action. or the snake pit from Indiana Jones... 8K of course.
In my experience EVERY rack build requires a blood sacrifice. Typically a scraped finger, arm, or a bump on the head... Good times! A quick spray varnish dries fast and for no harder than the top or sides of cabinets get used, would be great. For the sides think of 1/8" plywood, easy to cut and cheap.
Isn't it better to shut down the nas via the web / app interface ? Does "long press" the NAS power button perform a hard shut down to the nas? btw thanks for your video:)
Move the patch panel and switch to the rear. Once you start putting servers in the rack you'll find that they have their network ports at the rear, so having the switch and patch panel at the rear too makes stuff a lot easier.
Some people like their switch ports at the front. A 1u patch panel at the back cross connected to another 1u patch panel at the front eliminates having the switch back there.
I saw your 4-pi R-squared rack insert labeled VPN, etc., What kind of hardware was that? And have you a thought for "what happens when I want to put 16 or 24 of these things in the same 1-RU or 2-RU space?
That particular rack enclosure is a 5-Pi 1U enclosure from MyElectronics.nl - they also make a 16 or 20 Pi rackmount solution (can't remember offhand) with the same Pi trays, and that one's 2U. I haven't seen any official solution for more density in 1U using deeper trays, but I also ran a 1U 6 Pi 3D printed rack for a while too.
Hi Jeff, Great video. I'm looking at an Echogear like your old one but hate their casters. What size/threads are the bolts on the feet of the on you have? Do you know of any with locks that fit?
I would have back mounted the nas's behind the networking aswel as the less accessed equipment like home automation as you don't want to have that knocked when doing any work on the front.
Use boxes or other hardware to help support awkward rackmounts (like split rails as found in old UCS fabric interconnects) to help with manuevering the mungeral into place. Though unload everything you can unload as the lighter it is, the easier & safer it is. HIlls hoist pegs work great for "pegging out" stuff you're going to be working on/pulling out when said components lack indicator lights. Use velcro cable wraps and cable manage your stuff properly instead of shoving it into an 'out of sight, out of mind' place, future you will thank you for it.
How's the MikroTik working out for you so far? I'm having RB 4011 for routing and other stuff and it's been great, so I hope your switch is doing great as well
Man im always so leery about putting servers in the basement on the floor. always like to have it 12' off the floor incase of flooding. lost a server that way long ago
I think Netbox is pretty nice. And free. It is written in python but I don't know if it runs on a Pi. Can use docker-compose to get it up and running. It works well with Ansible.
That's good your dad have a lot of experience, so you don't have to try and error, wasting extra effort. And the wood top was so good, just need some wood stain to prevent humid, not sure how bad in your city, don't want to see mushroom grow on the wood do it fast.
Back several decades ago when I was in broadcast engineering, much of our equipment had Much heavier power supplies (big copper transformers). We added front-to-back L brackets instead of shelves - easy to fab from hardware store stock. Wish we would have had modern racks with cage nuts and choice of accessories. It would be better if the rack could be situated next to a wall mounted backboard for terminating all of your other house low voltage wiring. Think doorbells, thermostats, etc. It would make future connections to network based controls easier, and would also centralize those pesky LV power transformers that electricians love to hide in inaccessible places. Don't get me started on clueless architects and general contractors....
Forgot to add, if possible I always try to terminate backboard wiring in 110 blocks rather that proprietary and expensive adapters (*cough* Leviton). Cat 3 for wired telephones is still good for many situations especially distributing cordless telephone base stations.
Someone else already claimed the old one locally! It's an Echogear 20U rack, and I think it's great for a small to medium sized homelab, as long as you don't have any servers that use rails or need a lot of depth.
The perfect height for a SMB is 110cm. The top can still be used somehow. I still do not understand why any Chinese manufacturer offers a modular rack system which can be combined at will.
I like Patchbox's /dev/mount over Rackstuds. And if you didn't have a helping hand, while Patchbox does have their setup.exe tool, I like Atlas' Load-A-Rack for its sturdier build and higher weight handling.
Check out the main channel video on the new 300-lb Petabyte of storage that's going to live in this rack soon! ua-cam.com/video/BBnomwpF_uY/v-deo.html
Now, what are your rackmount tips and tricks? Joe wants to steal 'em!
300lbs is a lot of RPIs.
If you have a heavy server, if posible use a serverlift or multiple people.
Actualy, serverlifts are nice if you have to install stuff alone and can be a great combo with serverrails.
@@cajetankurmann7126 Indeed. Probably overkill for a homelab-but sometimes, overkill is fun, especially if you can find one used that functions for a low price :)
Tip 1. The bigger rack, the better rack! 2. No spaces, use blinders to control air flow. 3. Try to dodge the power bill...
Can confirm. Our engineers have determined that the NAS indeed does not like stray hockey pucks.
What was cool for me about this video is that almost every point that was discussed I'm already doing. Not that everything is etched in stone, but there are common standard practices. It's such a good feeling knowing that that I have my head on straight, and I'm not some rouge gun slinger throwing gear in all sorts of ways into my rack. Thanks Jeff. Your 2 year old video is still giving.
Glad it helps! I try to document these things because I know I'll refer back to them... and I hope some other people can see things they like about them too!
You'd think everyone taking a roll around in the rack is just fun.
But it does help build familiarity with the rack, so when it comes time to move it around fully loaded you know how it behaves.
There, see! Important to do it then.
I like your Dad, he kept his inner child. Wonder how he spoils his grandchildren? 😊
Incessantly!
Love the videos with your dad! I also grew up with a dad in IT and it really makes me miss getting to spend time with him.
"You can tell these hard drives aren't very full" - your dad with the classic dad joke
"They're SSDs"
Am I the only one being appalled by that fact that his dad SHOOK that NAS without making sure if there's HDDs or SSDs inside?!?
@@piotrlewandowski Is it bad to shake harddrives? He didnt dropped it on the floor but they can handle a bit of shaking. The where in laptops for a couple decades.
I'd add, always take a photograph of your existing setup before dismantling it. It might help you remember something important, but is also nice for nostalgic reasons!
Very true. I try to remember to take a picture of the front and back side any time I do a significant change, mostly for reference... but in 10-20 years for that nice nostalgia kick.
Add a multi-switch PDU for all the devices with wall warts and inaccessible switches. Mine is a Pyle PDBC10 with my own labels stuck over their numbers for each device. Makes it easy when you call home and say, "Honey, could you power cycle the cable modem?"
Instead of a Multi-Switch PDU, I'd recommend just getting an IP based PDU. No need to call home and request a reboot, the IP PDU will automatically detect a down connection and reboot whatever device you tell it to. They are great for remote/no-hassle locations. Just don't plug in your servers or NAS into it. 😁
@@JD-lx2yf Oh, nice, I didn't know about those! As much as I love a device I can write a script to control, the only ones I can find that have 8 ports (like my $32 manual one) cost $600+, so I think I'll stick with my Luddite toggle switches. 😀
@@d00dEEE look at the Digital Logger Ethernet Power Controller 7, it’s about $395.00 usd. It’s worth every penny. Or look at the Pro Switch by the same company. It’s about 180 USD and has multiple controllable ports.
@@JD-lx2yf Damn you, now I need to go buy a new PDU!
@@d00dEEE LMAO...I know. My counterpart at the company I work found this company years ago for remote troubleshooting. Well, one thing lead to another, and now I own one personally and I love it. 🙂
“You can tell these hard drives aren’t very full, it’s really light” peak dad joke 😂
I'm going to steal the idea for the top for mine. Just a small monitor on the top of mine right now and it's sitting on the top of my UDM Pro which is at the top of of the rack.
Having family in the video is the best event ever. 🥳
@13:22 Shame you missed your dad's Dad Joke about telling the NAS wasn't full because it was so light... I GOT IT, DAD!!!
The trick with the blue tape is great. I will remember it ! Thanks guys ;)
Your Dad seems awesome!
I just bought a 12U echogear to formalize my homelab. No more spaghetti mess of various pis and devices wired together on a closet shelf!
And thus begins the long journey towards a 42U rack in the home! :)
No cage nut blood sacrifice by minute 9, after a full assemblage of a rack. You sir are playing with fire... Great video :)
I'm fairly certain karma will come back in the form of dropping a server or something :O
Looks full already. Time to start looking for a full height rack 👍🏻
The second I can move my main rack over to another part of the basement, I'm going for 42U! I plan on keeping this rack as well, regardless, since it's nice to have a deep rack on casters.
This is the most straightforwardly wholesome video on the internet. Thank you!
I've only done one server rack and it was great to have your dad vocalize the "norms" of racking--connectivity (switches and patch panels on top), power strips on both sides (with their IP ports in the switch), heavy stuff at the bottom (multi-U blade server or UPS in your case). I like Dad's pointer on using a screw position one side of a mount. I was spoiled by snap-rails.
@JeffGeerling you used my Picture from reddit of my very first LAB from 3 years ago. I was watching and had this strange feeling of confusion when I first saw it. I have a proper server and rack now because of your videos and this Great labing community on youtube and reddit . Still shocked to see my pic on your video
Ha! Excellent, and yes, the r/homelab community is amazing. Thanks for sharing your journey over there-my first setup was a piece of plywood with a shelf that held my cable modem, and a router hanging on an Ethernet cable :)
love how dad and son works together. My 10 years old son start interesting in IT and my homelab is simple than this. Dreaming of this setup in the next 2-3 years...
In the theatre / rock and roll world, a rack light is cool 1U addition, means you can still see your installation when the power is off, assuming you power it via your UPS!
I know I've seen some nice pop-out lights integrated into PDUs in the theater racks I've worked with, always loved those things. In my case I could just grab a USB flexible arm light and stick it in the USB port! I do have an emergency power light in the basement too, as well as a few DeWalt flashlights and an area light I pull out when the power goes out. Those things last hours on my 5AH tool batteries, and don't take up 1U of precious rack space ;)
Would be nice to have if I get a taller rack though!
Can't exactly explain why but when I saw the thumbnail the photo of your Dad looked very much like Fred Rodgers, heh
It's nice to see the relationship you have with your dad and how I bet her set you off in your It career, because he is an engineer himself. It's always good to see you guys together, Much love Alex. My dad is a nuclear scientist No joke. His building crazy things and genral geekiness set me of on mine. :)
To help reduce cable spaghetti, I like to get a long PDU (power/surge strip) and mount it vertically at the back of the rack and swap the device power cables with shorter ones (or cable-tie them shorter).
I like using rack mounted power devices, so many now to choose from. They can be horizontal or vertical and high density. And remote controlled per outlet. Mike Waldman was the best at cable management - especially "hiding" power cables.
@@GeerlingEngineering they aren't cheap, but check out SurgeX they have rack mount power conditioners/surge protectors. I know your home lab doesn't need it, but I find its rolling start feature useful for sensitive equipment like sound gear
Some fantastic advice from your dad, the tip about spacing is often overlooked by 'professionals'.
lol, this just reminds me how much i want a rack mounted server lol. nice video :D
Recommendation: Since you have the rack on casters, tether it to the wall, or in your case, the stairs. My favorite method is to use a couple of eye bolts and a carabiner. Don't rely on the wheel brakes to hold it when (not if) the rack gets bumped, since Murphy's Law dictates that that will happen the one time you forgot to re-lock the brakes. You really don't want those Ethernet cables to get pulled out of the back of your patch panel...
Heh, or one of the casters rolls over onto our rusty old floor drain, shatters that, makes the whole thing topple a bit, kills off a bunch of drives due to vibration while running...
That neat patch is pretty neat.
Never seen that before.
These are some great tips! That lower screw trick really would have helped when I was struggling with inserting a heavy server into a rack. Having the top down order of terminated cables> switch> other equipment is very logical and would help with cable neatness. The blue tape is really helpful as well, even when working solo, just to build up a plan, and these three tips really would have helped.
That's the first time I'd seen the screw trick. Always great to have a 2nd set of hands doing this work too... not only for the strength, but for double-checking things like the right spacing and the right order of operations!
3:50 it's much more entertaining when the installation is _eventful_ ;)
The way of the Red Shirt Jeff lies within.
@10:01 There's a man who has installed a lot of equipment over the years.
It's one of the best pieces of advice when you're racking gear.
Can confirm, I too roll around in my rack before installing my gear. It's part of the build process, can't skip that step.
I'm so glad to see you also keep you equipment on a battery backup. I've seen a lot of these videos where there's absolutely no protection for them. It makes my OCD go nuts haha
Jeff, get yourself some knee pads. I'm an industrial electrician, and I spend *a lot* of time kneeling in front of racks of various kinds, and, after a while, you knees will go. Protect them now.
You know, it's honestly refreshing to see someone not backed by corporate sponsorship. I have the same UPS that I bought on craigslist, and a wooden rack. I've wanted to upgrade to metal but I can't justify it for a UPS, r710 (which also needs upgrading), optiplex, and switch. Entire rack of used gear (except for the hue hub)
If I could've found the rack itself used, I would've bought it that way. Used saves SO much money (and sometimes assembly, as long as you can move the equipment/rack in your own vehicle), it's not even funny!
@@JeffGeerling I hear you. I've looked into it once or three times and every time I'm turned off by the insane cost of a new rack.
What is done to prevent the rack from being moved too far with the cables still plugged in? Just the locks on the casters? (i.e. another kid worry, or someone trying to access the HVAC/etc)
The painters tape makes so much sense, why didnt I think of that before?
Not sure how I stumbled on this channel.
I ordered and assembled a version of this rack coming on 10 years ago for a MSP client, I chose for the reason it was flat pack and was going into a small basement via very narrow stairs. No chance of getting a full size cabinet down there. It turned out to be a very good product for then later racking a Dell Server and other shelving.
Yeah, getting a full rack down some stairs or through tight corners is a bit of a trick. These flat-pack four post racks are great for that.
Cool video..I liked the cleets trick on the top Bord you added..i will add to mine now..lol.
Jeff's dad is awesome! Funny guy!
I never see anyone talk about grounding their racks. Everything should be grounded, even your rack. :)
My moves usually go: Plan rack layout (tape, spreadsheet, whatever), insert all cage nuts/studs/etc, move all difficult gear first (like patch panels), then essentially populate from the bottom up so the gear below you can act like a shelf to hold what you're racking up. On a side-note, if you have racks of equipment with nuts/screws/studs/whatever, go get yourself a 12v screw gun with a slip clutch. Put the slip-clutch on it's lowest setting and use that to run everything in with, your arms and wrists will thank you. I'd also recommend standardizing on a specific cage nut/screw/stud and throwing away whatever your equipment comes with. I'm a fan of hardened 12-24 or M6 since it's harder to cross-thread, holds more, less likely to break or strip, and not that much more expensive then the smaller stuff.
So nice to see you do stuff with your dad. I lost mine for 2 years ago, and i miss it big time.
You're killing me Jeff. I have one of these StarTechs sitting in my spare bedroom because a guy local to me was liquidating them for cheap. Since then, life has picked up and I haven't gotten anything to fill it with!
I love your main channel content but on this channel it is more of the „in touch“ content. I love the format :) keep it up please, let me sustain my sanity.
What I wouldn't give to be able to work on a project with my dad again. ❤️
I love your content and you got a great dad!
I’ve done rackswaps without shutting down equipment. It can be tricky but if the rack is big enough you can angle everything out the back and then back in
If we didn't have that janky UPS mounting setup, it would've been worth a try. But I didn't want to risk a finger or other appendages since it wasn't well fixed in the old rack :(
Beautiful rack upgrade. I hope to have a similar setup in the near future.
8:44 Pull cord! Lol!
Pull to make the sparks fly!
with deep rack you can mount two devices within 1 unit from opposite sides, like PDU or power strip opposite from network switch
I was going to say the same thing. Just be sure you don't cause thermal issues.
I have a nice template I made in visio that I use for rack planning. Back when I was working in the engineering department, we used Autodusk AutoCAT for rack layouts, but that's way too much work and doesn't look as nice. You could probably put the work in to make it look nice, and even automate it, but visio is quick and easy enough.
As suggested, if the rack doesn't have the RUs labelled, we use gaffer's tape because you can get it in white, and the glue remains sticky for longer so you're not using solvents to clean your nice shiny rack just because you left the tape on for a week. But don't leave it for too long, because it eventually goes through the goopy stage and turns into rock, and then you'll never get it off.
We also try to leave a 1RU gap where possible. Management thought they knew better when IT did the last big project and crammed all their servers together, now the ones in the centre are so hot around the power supplies, you can't keep your finger on them. But hey, at least the rack is
This is great. Where did you get those 2 bottom shelves that you show in the beginning of the video?
Nice rack guys ! I love it , watching you do that makes me want to redo all mine XD once i get my FTTP ill do a rebuild i think, the painters tap is a great idea ill have to use that in my rebuild to mark out and work out space.
Yeah it was extremely helpful, took all the guesswork out, and since the locations were all pre-marked we didn't have to re-count rack spaces when installing in the middle of the rack!
Just curious - do you have a video on your NAS selection? Why ASUS and did you say you used SSDs? If so which? If this is covered in a video please point to that. Thanks.
It's not in a video yet; but I plan on doing a rack tour at some point in the future, probably on the main Jeff Geerling channel.
I mostly use ASUSTOR right now because they're reliable and cheaper than the alternatives... plus they have partnered with me on a few storage projects in the past, so it helps when they'll send me a new unit to try out.
That doesn't mean they're perfect, of course-one thing that annoys me about the Drivestor 4 Pro is the plastic drive trays seem to vibrate and get noisy sometimes with those 8 TB HDDs.
It's always cool when your dad shares your hobby. (Or I guess if you're YouTubing it, it's your profession!)
really want my own rack. don't have room for a deep enough one. next house will. will need to be a few Us just so I can fit a HP server and a couple other boxes. the rest can rack. eventually. current things are on there side against the wall
I bought a rack that was too short so I cut it in half and added 2x4 in-between the two sections and used bolts to hold all together.
Curious: In the beginning of the video you inserted panel floor pieces at the bottom of the rack. With the UPS going right over them, are they still necessary? Wouldn't the airflow be better without them?
At least you explained why you didn't get a 42U rack. If you have the space though it's well worth it.
I like that wood top!
Sometimes in convenient to lay the rack on it's back and install all the gear from the top, that way you don't have to fight the weight of each piece while getting the screws in. also you can use an old rack on it's back to store loose rack equipment face up. Also, when installing heavy gear with the rack in the upright position install the bottom screws first, this prevents the rack ears from bending out of shape.
Sorry but that's just a bad idea.
1). You need access to the rear of the rack for all the cabling e.g. power and networking.
2). If you're lifting it up, that is an awful lot of weight. A lot of the single server chassis's are solidly built and are heavy by themselves.
3). The loose items will simply fall through.
@@aetch77 it’s not for cabling , it for mounting the gear. For rack like he built, it is not that heavy to tilt up. The won’t fall through , they have rack ears.
@@sefarkas0 To be honest, I do *not* think you know what you are talking about.
Servers are heavy, I would not like to tilt up a rack when it has been loaded up. Each server is at least as heavy as a full size ATX desktop computer. You risk doing damage to yourself , the servers and/or the rack.
On a personal level, I have already done damage to my back and what you are suggestion is downright dangerous.
@@aetch77 OK, fine I guess I was dreaming about having done it this way many times. For a small rack like the one shown most of the stuff is pretty low weight. It just take a couple of strong people to do it.
@@sefarkas0 Claim all you want, I actually do not believe you.
Good job!
To cover up the sides you could cut some black tinted plexiglass and attach it with nut inserts.
That's one thing I'm considering-for the very short term, I'm going to cut some screen material (like for a screen door) and use some magnets to keep it in place. Should be good for at least one ball hit at the rack at high-ish velocity.
I would like to add a video screen as a side cover playing a looped video of the insides of a multistory factory in action. or the snake pit from Indiana Jones... 8K of course.
@@radijoe oooh... I like this idea.
Is it a 45drive server?
Why yes indeed... just 12 hours away from that video coming out!
That was my question too when I spotted the fangrill logo.
In my experience EVERY rack build requires a blood sacrifice. Typically a scraped finger, arm, or a bump on the head... Good times!
A quick spray varnish dries fast and for no harder than the top or sides of cabinets get used, would be great. For the sides think of 1/8" plywood, easy to cut and cheap.
Isn't it better to shut down the nas via the web / app interface ? Does "long press" the NAS power button perform a hard shut down to the nas?
btw thanks for your video:)
Geerling guys in their native habitat… 😊
Your basement alone is bigger than my house!
Move the patch panel and switch to the rear. Once you start putting servers in the rack you'll find that they have their network ports at the rear, so having the switch and patch panel at the rear too makes stuff a lot easier.
Some people like their switch ports at the front. A 1u patch panel at the back cross connected to another 1u patch panel at the front eliminates having the switch back there.
I saw your 4-pi R-squared rack insert labeled VPN, etc., What kind of hardware was that? And have you a thought for "what happens when I want to put 16 or 24 of these things in the same 1-RU or 2-RU space?
That particular rack enclosure is a 5-Pi 1U enclosure from MyElectronics.nl - they also make a 16 or 20 Pi rackmount solution (can't remember offhand) with the same Pi trays, and that one's 2U. I haven't seen any official solution for more density in 1U using deeper trays, but I also ran a 1U 6 Pi 3D printed rack for a while too.
Hi Jeff, Great video. I'm looking at an Echogear like your old one but hate their casters. What size/threads are the bolts on the feet of the on you have? Do you know of any with locks that fit?
thank you!!😃
I would have back mounted the nas's behind the networking aswel as the less accessed equipment like home automation as you don't want to have that knocked when doing any work on the front.
Where do you get that cage nut tool? 😳
I got mine from Amazon; there's a link in the description, but there are also a few other styles too.
Is there a link to the drawer you have?
Yes; that's from Navepoint, link here: amzn.to/3G9x6HC - expensive but has come in handy and is much nicer than whatever I could cobble together.
I've got the scars to prove that I should have invested in a cage nut tool years ago.
Use boxes or other hardware to help support awkward rackmounts (like split rails as found in old UCS fabric interconnects) to help with manuevering the mungeral into place. Though unload everything you can unload as the lighter it is, the easier & safer it is.
HIlls hoist pegs work great for "pegging out" stuff you're going to be working on/pulling out when said components lack indicator lights.
Use velcro cable wraps and cable manage your stuff properly instead of shoving it into an 'out of sight, out of mind' place, future you will thank you for it.
Nice! Now you gonna fill it!
How's the MikroTik working out for you so far?
I'm having RB 4011 for routing and other stuff and it's been great, so I hope your switch is doing great as well
Lucky u have an old man u cud rely on..... I bet he IS a great dad and always has been.
Man im always so leery about putting servers in the basement on the floor.
always like to have it 12' off the floor incase of flooding.
lost a server that way long ago
12 feet off the floor? You must have some tall ceilings! :) Seriously though, good tip, I'm stealing your tip for myself.
I think Netbox is pretty nice. And free. It is written in python but I don't know if it runs on a Pi. Can use docker-compose to get it up and running. It works well with Ansible.
That's good your dad have a lot of experience, so you don't have to try and error, wasting extra effort. And the wood top was so good, just need some wood stain to prevent humid, not sure how bad in your city, don't want to see mushroom grow on the wood do it fast.
Thank you!!
Please don’t forget to post sides how you do as I am looking for something easy to open but good enough to cover.
I hope to! I just looked at buying a piece of a acrylic from the big box store but those sheets cost about $150, sheesh!
Back several decades ago when I was in broadcast engineering, much of our equipment had Much heavier power supplies (big copper transformers). We added front-to-back L brackets instead of shelves - easy to fab from hardware store stock. Wish we would have had modern racks with cage nuts and choice of accessories.
It would be better if the rack could be situated next to a wall mounted backboard for terminating all of your other house low voltage wiring. Think doorbells, thermostats, etc. It would make future connections to network based controls easier, and would also centralize those pesky LV power transformers that electricians love to hide in inaccessible places.
Don't get me started on clueless architects and general contractors....
Forgot to add, if possible I always try to terminate backboard wiring in 110 blocks rather that proprietary and expensive adapters (*cough* Leviton). Cat 3 for wired telephones is still good for many situations especially distributing cordless telephone base stations.
OHHhh....dang...I heard your knees crack at 11:40 mark
Your dad is pretty cool.
like father like son let's take roll in the rack
Mmmmm that old rack looks nice. I don’t need anything big or overkill. What did you use for that one?
Someone else already claimed the old one locally! It's an Echogear 20U rack, and I think it's great for a small to medium sized homelab, as long as you don't have any servers that use rails or need a lot of depth.
@@JeffGeerling Thanks! I’ll check it out!
You need to use nylon rack studs, much better than cage nuts
9:26 At least you didn't need to jump your own fence to get into the front yard..
That person won't be named. But you could figure it out.
The perfect height for a SMB is 110cm. The top can still be used somehow. I still do not understand why any Chinese manufacturer offers a modular rack system which can be combined at will.
Nice!
ER Nurse: How did you get injured?
😵💫
I'm sure it is more, "You, again?"
@@YeOldeTraveller You think they have a punch card system; 11th visit is free? 🤕
I like Patchbox's /dev/mount over Rackstuds. And if you didn't have a helping hand, while Patchbox does have their setup.exe tool, I like Atlas' Load-A-Rack for its sturdier build and higher weight handling.
Oh my!!.. I will buy a new rack, forgot to drive around the last one we put build.